Gift of Pride
by Dreaming 11
Summary: Not really romantic, but Zutara. Katara needs to find it in her to forgive Zuko after he joins "Team Avatar".
1. Gift of Pride

**It's not very good, and it's only a quick drabble. I just want to see if anyone would like my work. Please reveiw! And I need more ideas for my stories.... Please and thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Avatar: the Last Airbender**

It was a clear night. Not a cloud scudding against the night sky. Katara, lying on the mossy ground by their campfire, gazed at the full moon. The night was full of sounds. Crickets chirping, the fire crackling, and the snores of Aang, Toph, Sokka, Suki, and Zuko.

Zuko. Katara had second thoughts of him. She wasn't sure that he really had changed. She had been nervous ever since he had begged to join their group this morning, even offered himself as a prisoner; kneeling on the ground, wrists offered to be bound, and head bowed in submission. Angry, Katara had sent him flying with a water whip, and he had crawled away with a crumpled and devastated expression on his face. Katara knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, knowing that at any moment, the traitor Prince could attack them all.

She sighed. Katara felt a twinge of guilt as she thought of how she had threatened him right before bed, the look of genuine hurt and surprise on his face as she yelled at him. But not enough to actually apologize for it. She did NOT trust him.

She must have fallen asleep, for the next thing she knew, Toph was shaking her awake.

"Come on, Katara! You never sleep in this late!"

"I'm up! I'm up!"

Katara stood and splashed a little water on her face from her bending pouch. Awake, she strode over to the fire and started to rekindle it, poking about in the dying embers with a stick. Suddenly, with a _poof_, the last glowing spark fizzled and died. Ugh. Katara shook her head in exasperation and turned to go get a match when Zuko strode over.

"Here, let me."

He curled his fingers and the fire leapt back into existence. Annoyed, Katara stood suddenly and walked away.

"I HAD it under control! I didn't need YOUR help!" she yelled angrily, her words making it clear that she would have accepted help gratefully from anyone else.

Zuko sat with a thump by the fire, hurt on his face.

"You all trust me, why won't she?" he muttered to himself.

Sokka shrugged indifferently and grabbed a huge pile of fruit and jammed some into his mouth. Zuko sighed and began eating.

When everyone was done eating, they climbed on Appa and took off. Aang sat at the reins, relaxed and happy. Sokka leaned against the back of the saddle, Suki's body curved into his, the two of them whispering, their eyes adoring. Toph was spread out in the middle of the saddle, teasing the two lovebirds in the back relentlessly. Zuko leaned against the side of the saddle, his normal grimace on his face, silent and staring out at the world passing by. And Katara leaned on the other side of the saddle, as far away from Zuko as she could get in the cramped space, mending more of Sokka's ripped clothing.

After a while, Toph lightened up on the teasing because she sensed Sokka was near breaking point, and it was no fun to push him over the edge so early in the morning.

"Hey Katara, can I have some tea? I would get it myself, but I'm blind," Toph asked cheerfully.

Immediately, Aang called out from the front.

"Oh! Oh! I want some too!"

"Let's all have some then," remarked Toph.

In the back, Sokka nodded his agreement happily, his eyes never leaving Suki's. Katara pulled out a bottle of hot tea from her pack and passed it to Aang, who happily took a deep gulp.  
After Aang had his drink, Katara passed it to everybody in the saddle. Except Zuko. Just as Suki was about to pass the mug to Zuko, Katara intercepted it and wordlessly put it back in the bag.

"What about Zuko?" Suki asked.

"He didn't want any," Katara said icily, turning back to her mending.

"Katara!" Aang said, shocked.

He was about to say more, when Zuko waved away his words.

"No, I'm okay. Katara's right, I didn't want any tea,"

And there was no anger or sarcasm in his words, only an almost palpable sadness that she kept rejecting him so cruelly. The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. The highlight of the day was when Sokka fell off of Appa while chasing Toph around the saddle for earthbending rocks at his head and Aang had to go rescue him on his glider.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

At the end of the day, the landed for the night in a clearing by a creek. Katara went to the creek to bend water for them to drink, Aang fed Momo and Appa, Toph set up her earth tent, and Suki and Sokka unpacked some supplies, leaving Zuko to stand awkwardly alone,not knowing what he should do. Aang saw him, and being the innocent and forgiving child of twelve he was, he suggested that Zuko go start the fire. Zuko nodded and went to do as Aang suggested.

As they gathered around the fire to eat, Toph accidentily kicked Sokka when she stretched out her legs.

"Ow! That hurt! Watch where you put your feet!"

"Oh sorry! I would watch them, IF I WEREN'T BLIND!"

"Oops, sorry. I didn't mean it like that Tofh, rea-"

"Kidding, Sokka. At least I don't have a scar over half my face," Tofh said the comment jokingly and tossed a smile Zuko's way to show that she didn't say it meanly. Sokka and Aang laughed, and even Zuko managed a small half smile to show he wasn't offended.

"And he knows he deserves it," Katara said. The words pointed and sharp as knives when they were accompanied by a cold glare at Zuko. She walked away, diving into her tent for the night. Zuko's face crumpled, and pain shot through his eyes, though he tried to hide it.

An awkward silence filled the air after Katara's departure. Finally, Aang said,

"Sorry,"

Zuko nodded and left after bidding them all a good night. He walked away alone into the shadows, leaving the warmth and comradeship he was beginning to find in the company of "Team Avatar".

Back at the campfire, no one knew what to do.

"What is her PROBLEM?!" Tofh exclaimed.

Aang shook his head sadly and stared into the fire, absently stroking Momo.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Away from the warmth of the campfire, Zuko walked to Katara's tent intead of his own. He sat down cross-legged outside her tent to wait for her.

The next morning, Katara walked out of her tent to find a bleary eyed Zuko sitting outside her tent. He had slight dark bags underneath his eyes and a weary aura surrounding him.

"You look terrible, just like your soul" she remarked cruelly.

"I've been here all night," Zuko replied, trying to ignore the last comment. "Look, why do you hate me so much!? I've changed! How do you want me to prove it!? What will make you not hate me so much?! I'll do anything you tell me to. I'll by the group slave, be a prisoner like I offered before, let you practice attack bending on me! What do you want?!" He yelled, pleading and desperate, only barely being sarcastic.

Katara looked down at him coldly, and made to walk around him. In response, Zuko got up to stand in front of her.

"I won't move until you tell me what I can do to make you forgive me!" he said stubbornly.

"Nothing," Katara said scathingly, before she twisted her hand. A stream of water shot around Zuko's wrists, bringing them together and forming a peg before hardening into ice. The ice manacles shot to the ground and the peg landed with a thump in the dirt. Ice daggers shot from the creek as Katara's hands clutched into fists and pinned Zuko by his clothes to the ground so that he was lying on his stomach on the ground, his hands bound and held down by slivers of deadly sharp ice.

Zuko watched her walk away. He left the restraints there, though he easily could have melted them, and lay there. Soon, Sokka came along and started laughing at him.

"HAHAHA! What'd you do to my sister?"

Zuko remained silent, feeling the last of his pride drain away.

Sokka's raucous laughter drew Katara and Aang over to see. When Aang saw Zuko, he was confused.

"What'd you do to get Katara so mad? And why don't you just melt them?"

Zuko shook his head.

"I tried to talk to her. And I'm hoping that if I let her do whatever she wants to me, she might forgive me." he talked while avoiding Katara's eyes.

With a growl of frustration, Katara turned the restraints into liquid water.

"Where's all of your pride now, O banished Prince?" she taunted as she walked away without a backward glance.

As Zuko stood, he looked away and whispered.

"I gave it to you,"

Not knowing how to respond, Katara walked away. But her hate for him was gone.

They were on they're way to becoming friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey!**

**I know some people have put this story on story alert, and I just want to say that this was a oneshot thing and I'm not going to add on to it. However, I have another story that I recently put up and I would love some reveiws on that. Thanks guys!**

**Dreaming 11**


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